Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/3/15

CORPORATE ED REFORM

 

CURMUDGUCATION: NEA on ESSA

CURMUDGUCATION: NEA on ESSA: NEA on ESSAThursday evening NEA Government Relations Director Mary Kulser andDirector of Education Policy and Practice Donna Harris-Aikensspoke on a brief conference call about NEA and the New ESSA. This will be as disjointed as my notes, and there aren't many surprises here, though a few pieces of clarifying information.Richard Allen Smith opened by observing that &qu

by mike simpson / 1h 

Pssst…Mark, it’s me again. | Save Maine Schools

Pssst…Mark, it’s me again. | Save Maine Schools: Pssst…Mark, it’s me again.Dear Mark,First – my sincerest congratulations on the birth of your baby girl.  My son (now sleeping in my arms and making typing a bit difficult) was born just over a year ago, so I know quite well the wonder and fatigue of those first few weeks. I hope you and your wife have gotten some sleep since you’ve been home, and i

by mike simpson / 1h 

NEA - NEA welcomes historic step to usher in new era in public education

NEA - NEA welcomes historic step to usher in new era in public education: NEA welcomes historic step to usher in new era in public educationU.S. House approves bill to create greater opportunity for every student to succeedWASHINGTON - December 02, 2015 -The U.S. House of Representatives today approved S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a bipartisan and bicameral bill to reauthorize t

by mike simpson / 2h 

L.A. school board to consider revised motion against rapid charter expansion - LA Times

L.A. school board to consider revised motion against rapid charter expansion - LA Times: L.A. school board to consider revised motion against rapid charter expansionLos Angeles school board member Scott Schmerelson, who recently urged his colleagues to oppose a massive charter school expansion plan, has revised a proposal to make it more general — opposing market-driven education reforms and no lo

by mike simpson / 2h 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Rich People: Why Do They ALL Have to Come After Public Ed?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Rich People: Why Do They ALL Have to Come After Public Ed?: Rich People: Why Do They ALL Have to Come After Public Ed?To start, consider this from Inside Philanthropy (one of my new favorite places to stop by and read awhile:)Now, with the rise of Big Philanthropy, we’re seeing the logical next act in this age of inequality—the conversion of all those big piles of

by mike simpson / 2h 

Jersey Jazzman: Return To Teachers Village, Part III: Who's Learning At Teachers Village?

Jersey Jazzman: Return To Teachers Village, Part III: Who's Learning At Teachers Village?: Return To Teachers Village, Part III: Who's Learning At Teachers Village? Here's Part I of this series, and here's Part II.Let's ask again: how much money have the taxpayers spent on Newark's Teachers Village?Teachers’ Village represents a complex mixture of innovatively structured public and private financi

by mike simpson / 3h 

‘It pains me to write this': Obama’s first summit on high schools was a big fail - The Washington Post

‘It pains me to write this': Obama’s first summit on high schools was a big fail - The Washington Post: ‘It pains me to write this': Obama’s first summit on high schools was a big failTed Dintersmith is a venture capitalist and father of two who is now focused on education-related initiatives that call for a radical restructuring of what and how students learn. He organized, funded and produced th

by mike simpson / 4h 

Victory in Court: Consequences Attached to VAMs Suspended Throughout New Mexico | VAMboozled!

Victory in Court: Consequences Attached to VAMs Suspended Throughout New Mexico | VAMboozled!: Victory in Court: Consequences Attached to VAMs Suspended Throughout New MexicoGreat news for New Mexico and New Mexico’s approximately 23,000 teachers, and great news for states and teachers potentially elsewhere, in terms of setting precedent!Late yesterday, state District Judge David K. Thomson, who p

by mike simpson / 4h 

Rise to the Challenge - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice

Rise to the Challenge - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice: Rise to the ChallengeWhen I last posted a blog, I was challenged. The challenge was to THINK…AND DO!I responded…Well, life doesn’t lend itself well to being put on hold, but I did my best with the time I had and produced an alternative for Congress to consider. The problem is, Congress never wanted to consider any of the good ideas concer

by mike simpson / 5h 

CURMUDGUCATION: The New ESEA and Content

CURMUDGUCATION: The New ESEA and Content: The New ESEA and ContentThere's a huge amount of discussion about how the New ESEA will affect policy and the flow of money and the new ways that privateers can grub for that money and just how big a hash states will make out of education, anyway etc etc etc,But over at the Fordham blog, Robert Pondiscio has put a bit of focus where focus ought to be-- the

by mike simpson / 5h 

Charter group tells LAUSD board contribution process was lawful - LA School Report

Charter group tells LAUSD board contribution process was lawful - LA School Report: Charter group tells LAUSD board contribution process was lawful The executive director of the state charter schoolspolitical action committee sent anemail to the LA Unified school board and other district officials yesterday, offering a sharp response to a storyin the Los Angeles Times that was highly critical of t

by mike simpson / 5h 

Stefanie Fuhr, a Colorado Opt Out Leader, says: I Trust the Teachers - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform

Stefanie Fuhr, a Colorado Opt Out Leader, says: I Trust the Teachers - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform: Stefanie Fuhr, a Colorado Opt Out Leader, says: I Trust the TeachersColorado is gearing up for mass Opt Out action via the informal RAVE caucus (Re-igniting Association Values for Educators).Recently one of the founders of RAVE, Stefanie Fuhr, was interviewed on Ch

by mike simpson / 6h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: We need an independent People's Task Force in Chicago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: We need an independent People's Task Force in Chicago: We need an independent People's Task Force in ChicagoI'm all for the call by A.G. Lisa Madigan,  for a federal civil rights investigation of the Chicago PD and City Hall's ongoing cover-up of recent police killings. I'm glad to see that the call to bring in the feds is gaining broad support, including most recent

by mike simpson / 6h 

Education Votes: IDEA at 40: Has Congress abandoned the promise of the special education law? - Lily's Blackboard

Education Votes: IDEA at 40: Has Congress abandoned the promise of the special education law? - Lily's Blackboard: Education Votes: IDEA at 40: Has Congress abandoned the promise of the special education law?Featured on Education Votes:“When President Gerald Ford signed the law now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 40 years ago, he was committed to the law’s goals but

by mike simpson / 6h 

New Mexico judge hits pause on controversial test-based teacher evaluations - The Washington Post

New Mexico judge hits pause on controversial test-based teacher evaluations - The Washington Post: New Mexico judge hits pause on controversial test-based teacher evaluationsAmerican Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten testifies before Congress in 2008. REUTERS/Mitch DumkeA New Mexico judge has temporarily barred schools from using the state’s controversial test-based teacher evaluat

by mike simpson / 6h 

SFER - The $7 million+ “student run” Corporate Education Reform Industry Front Group - Wait What?

SFER - The $7 million+ “student run” Corporate Education Reform Industry Front Group - Wait What?: SFER – The $7 million+ “student run” Corporate Education Reform Industry Front GroupAn update on Students for Education Reform, Inc.SFER is a model of how the Pro-Charter School and Corporate Education Reform Industry works to control the narrative surrounding public education while seeking to “win t

by mike simpson / 6h 

Some look Zuckerberg's gift horse in the mouth - POLITICO

Some look Zuckerberg's gift horse in the mouth - POLITICO: Some look Zuckerberg's gift horse in the mouth“If I was advising Zuckerberg, I think the question is: Is he searching for a silver-bullet solution?”Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to pour billions of dollars into a high-tech idea that has been billed as the future of learning, but which critics see as a half-baked notion that could jeop

by mike simpson / 7h 

Judge suspends penalties linked to state’s teacher eval system - The Santa Fe New Mexican: Northern New Mexico Education

Judge suspends penalties linked to state’s teacher eval system - The Santa Fe New Mexican: Northern New Mexico Education: Judge suspends penalties linked to state’s teacher eval systemA Santa Fe judge struck a blow against the state’s contentious teacher evaluation system Wednesday, temporarily halting provisions that would punish teachers for poor scores until a trial can determine whether the ra

by mike simpson / 7h 

No Child Left Behind replacement would give other states the freedom California has already claimed - LA Times

No Child Left Behind replacement would give other states the freedom California has already claimed - LA Times: No Child Left Behind replacement would give other states the freedom California has already claimedWith No Child Left Behind one step closer to being a thing of the past, the governance of schools in other states is poised to look a lot more like California’s. On Wednesday afternoon, the

by mike simpson / 7h 

TeachStrong: Will New Campaign Undo Teacher Bashing and Sustain Those Called to Teach? | janresseger

TeachStrong: Will New Campaign Undo Teacher Bashing and Sustain Those Called to Teach? | janresseger: TeachStrong: Will New Campaign Undo Teacher Bashing and Sustain Those Called to Teach?Did you know there’s a brand new campaign to improve teaching, a campaign, according toLyndsey Layton of the Washington Post, that says its goal is “modernizing and elevating” the teaching profession?   This is a

by mike simpson / 8h 

Before Minecraft, The Blocks Were Made Of Wood : NPR Ed : NPR

Before Minecraft, The Blocks Were Made Of Wood : NPR Ed : NPR: Before Minecraft, The Blocks Were Made Of WoodFor our Tools of the Trade series, we're exploring the iconic, seminal tools that some of us remember using in our early schooling. Things like the slide rule and protractor, the Bunsen burner and the planetarium.Today we explore the simple, powerful tool that is still alive and well in som

by mike simpson / 8h 

House Restores Local Education Control in Revising No Child Left Behind - The New York Times

House Restores Local Education Control in Revising No Child Left Behind - The New York Times: House Restores Local Education Control in Revising No Child Left BehindSenator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, left, and Representative John Kline, a Minnesota Republican. Credit Jacquelyn Martin/Associated PressWASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday approved a sweeping bill to revise the contentio

by mike simpson / 8h 

Go Ahead, Pass Every Student Succeeds Act, But Don’t Celebrate It

12/3/2015 – Pass Every Student Succeeds Act, But Don’t Celebrate It: Go Ahead, Pass Every Student Succeeds Act, But Don’t Celebrate ItDecember 3, 2015 SubscribeTHIS WEEK: US Falling Behind … College Attendance Rates Fall … Diversity Works … California’s Alternative To Testing … Teacher-Powered Schools GrowTOP STORYGo Ahead, Pass Every Student Succeeds Act, But Don’t Celebrate ItBy Jeff Bryant“On W

by mike simpson / 8h 

John Thompson: The Failed Claims for Market-Driven Reforms | Diane Ravitch's blog

John Thompson: The Failed Claims for Market-Driven Reforms | Diane Ravitch's blog: John Thompson: The Failed Claims for Market-Driven ReformsJohn Thompson, historian and teacher, analyzes the specious arguments for market-driven reforms. (Note: Although John says that Susan Dynarsky’s New York Times article is “intellectually honest,” Ipreviously wrote that she pulled the reformer trick of studyin

by mike simpson / 8h 

Are Republicans who Voted For ESEA Really Democrats in Drag? » Missouri Education Watchdog

Are Republicans who Voted For ESEA Really Democrats in Drag? » Missouri Education Watchdog: Are Republicans who Voted For ESEA Really Democrats in Drag?Is this the face of the GOP?  Are the GOP House members who voted for the ESEA reauthorization–a 1000 plus page bill that was made public only two days ago and filled with Federal carrots/sticks to make sure states don’t direct their own educationa

by mike simpson / 8h 

Fact Sheet: Congress Acts to Fix No Child Left Behind | U.S. Department of Education

Fact Sheet: Congress Acts to Fix No Child Left Behind | U.S. Department of Education: Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on House Passage of the Every Student Succeeds ActDECEMBER 2, 2015Contact:   Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov"It is good news for our nation's schools that the House has passed a serious bipartisan plan to fix the No Child Left Behind law. No Chi

by mike simpson / 8h 

End Voodoo Education: Vote "NO" on Revised no Child Left Behind | John C. Fager

End Voodoo Education: Vote "NO" on Revised no Child Left Behind | John C. Fager:End Voodoo Education: Vote "NO" on Revised no Child Left BehindDear Senators Sanders, Warren, Tester, & Paul,Next week you should vote a loud "NO" on the legislation to revise No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the current version of the basic American education law the Elementary and Second

by mike simpson / 8h 

How To Oust a Right-Wing School Board - NEA Today

How To Oust a Right-Wing School Board - NEA Today: How To Oust a Right-Wing School BoardJefferson County election workers count and stamp recall petitions collected by parents and educators to remove anti-public education school board members. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)Let’s rewind two years to Election Day 2013, in Jefferson County, Colorado, when it became quite clear that educators, paren

by mike simpson / 8h 

Congress is getting rid of No Child Left Behind. Here’s what will replace it. - Vox

Congress is getting rid of No Child Left Behind. Here’s what will replace it. - Vox: Congress is getting rid of No Child Left Behind. Here’s what will replace it.The days of No Child Left Behind are numbered.The House of Representatives voted Wednesday night, with a massive bipartisan majority of 359 to 64, in favor of a new education bill that would reduce the federal role in K-12 education for t

by mike simpson / 9h 

What proposed changes to ESEA mean for students of color | TheHill

What proposed changes to ESEA mean for students of color | TheHill: What proposed changes to ESEA mean for students of color“There’s no use in passing a federal education bill if it’s not a civil rights bill” —Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)Many of us can agree that the most recent iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), commonly referred to as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and p

by mike simpson / 9h 

All the philanthropic causes near and dear to the hearts of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan - Quartz

All the philanthropic causes near and dear to the hearts of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan - Quartz: All the philanthropic causes near and dear to the hearts of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla ChanWelcoming his new daughter to the world, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday (Dec. 1) that he and his wife Priscilla Chan plan to donate 99% of their shares in the social network to a new

by mike simpson / 9h 

Giving it away: A look at past decade's $1 billion donations

Giving it away: A look at past decade's $1 billion donations: Giving it away: A look at past decade's $1 billion donationsWarren Buffett, right, stands with Bill and Melinda Gates June 26, 2006 at a news conference where Buffett spoke about his financial gift to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in New York City.The elite list includes three men—Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, stock market sa

by mike simpson / 9h 

Teachers union president apologizes for remarks about ‘chronically tarded’ and ‘medically annoying’ kids - The Washington Post

Teachers union president apologizes for remarks about ‘chronically tarded’ and ‘medically annoying’ kids - The Washington Post: Teachers union president apologizes for remarks about ‘chronically tarded’ and ‘medically annoying’ kidsThe president of the nation’s largest teachers union has apologized for referring to “chronically tarded” and “medically annoying” children, remarks that drew stiff reb

by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

Jersey Jazzman: The @starledger's Editorial Page Editor, @tomamoran, Is Once Again a Massive Hypocrite

Jersey Jazzman: The @starledger's Editorial Page Editor, @tomamoran, Is Once Again a Massive Hypocrite: The @starledger's Editorial Page Editor, @tomamoran, Is Once Again a Massive Hypocrite Just when I think my world can't get any more bizarre:The New Hampshire Union Leader's endorsement of Chris Christie for president has drawn fire from an unexpected quarter: another newspaper. A few days after

by mike simpson / 20h 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: It Appears Many Are Lining Up to "Save" Washington State Charter Schools

Seattle Schools Community Forum: It Appears Many Are Lining Up to "Save" Washington State Charter Schools: It Appears Many Are Lining Up to "Save" Washington State Charter SchoolsWould that be as many folks lining up to support McCleary funding for over 1M Washington state public school students.Here's the latest.I asked OSPI some questions and got some curious answers. Me 1) i

by mike simpson / 20h 

Jersey Jazzman: Star-Ledger: Christie Stinks, But We Hate Teachers Unions More

Jersey Jazzman: Star-Ledger: Christie Stinks, But We Hate Teachers Unions More: Star-Ledger: Christie Stinks, But We Hate Teachers Unions MoreNOTE: I accidentally erased this post on 12/2/15. I retrieved it through Google Cache and have printed it with the original publishing date.When it comes to generating illogical, incoherent, self-contradictory claptrap, Editorial Page Editor Tom Moran and hi

by mike simpson / 21h 

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Passes House 359-64 | deutsch29

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Passes House 359-64 | deutsch29: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Passes House 359-64On December 02, 2015, the Every Student Achieves Act (ESSA) passed the Houseby a vote of 359-64.All 64 Nay votes were Republican, with three Democrats and seven Republicans not voting.ESSA is the long-overdue reauthorization of the Ele,entary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (

by mike simpson / 22h 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/2/15

CORPORATE ED REFORM  Put the brakes on the ESEA reauthorization bill | Seattle EducationPut the brakes on the ESEA reauthorization bill | Seattle Education: Put the brakes on the ESEA reauthorization billThe ESEA reauthorization bill was released on Monday, November 30th. The bill is over 1,000 pages long and is scheduled for a vote this week on the House floor. It is not possible for citizens to

by mike simpson / 23h 

CURMUDGUCATION: NEA on ESSA

CURMUDGUCATION: NEA on ESSA:

NEA on ESSA

Thursday evening NEA Government Relations Director Mary Kulser andDirector of Education Policy and Practice Donna Harris-Aikensspoke on a brief conference call about NEA and the New ESSA. This will be as disjointed as my notes, and there aren't many surprises here, though a few pieces of clarifying information.

Richard Allen Smith opened by observing that "we can see the finish line" for ending NCLB. Then he handed the conference off to Kulser.

Kulser used the word "historic" roughly six billion times, noting among other things that this was the first education conference committee meeting since about 2008, with a full conference committee meeting further still in the past.

Who was naughty 

She also noted that it was bipartisan and bicameral about a thousand times (my notes are sloppy). She did note that the bill came out of committee with just one nay vote, and that nay-voter was Rand Paul.

The language NEA keeps using to praise the bill which Kulser echoed is that every child will have access to quality education regardless of their zip code. She thinks ESSA will do that. She's apparently kind of an optomist.

Kulser noted that NEA had "three buckets" that marked their goals:

1) reduce testing and divorce it from high stakes
2) maximize multiple measures, noting that everyone loved the disagregated data of NCLB, but we should also be noting if all subgroups are getting art class and guidance counselors, and not just test scores.
3) when educators have a voice, students do better. Looking out for the profession. That kind of thing.

What next?

Senate vote next week. It will pass overwhelmingly. Rumors are that the Pres could be signing this CURMUDGUCATION: NEA on ESSA:

Pssst…Mark, it’s me again. | Save Maine Schools

Pssst…Mark, it’s me again. | Save Maine Schools:

Pssst…Mark, it’s me again.

Dear Mark,

First – my sincerest congratulations on the birth of your baby girl.  My son (now sleeping in my arms and making typing a bit difficult) was born just over a year ago, so I know quite well the wonder and fatigue of those first few weeks. I hope you and your wife have gotten some sleep since you’ve been home, and if you haven’t – don’t worry, it’ll get better soon.

When you get a chance to come up for air from your new life with little Max, I have another letter for you to read. (I say “another” because, if you’ve not yet seen it, I wrote you  this letter a few weeks ago.)

Mark, without question, you said many lovely things in your open letter to your daughter. I know that you – like all parents – truly want this world to be a better place, as it is the world you’ll be leaving behind for Max.

But there was something you said, as you were describing your investments in personalized education, which was not lovely at all.

Here it is below:

“It will take building new technology and trying new ideas. And it will take making mistakes and learning many lessons before achieving these goals.”

Mark, now that you have a little one of your own, will you do something for me? Will you pick her up, put her sweet, floppy little head in the crook of your elbow, and then – just for a moment – imagine something you’d rather not imagine?

Imagine for a moment that Max’s mind – the most precious thing she has – will be experimented upon when she gets to school.

Imagine that you no longer have the resources to send her anywhere you like for school, and so she will attend your local public school.

And now imagine that your local public school is working with an out-of-state Pssst…Mark, it’s me again. | Save Maine Schools:

NEA - NEA welcomes historic step to usher in new era in public education

NEA - NEA welcomes historic step to usher in new era in public education:

NEA welcomes historic step to usher in new era in public education

U.S. House approves bill to create greater opportunity for every student to succeed

WASHINGTON - December 02, 2015 -

The U.S. House of Representatives today approved S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a bipartisan and bicameral bill to reauthorize the federal education law known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The Senate is expected to take up ESSA next week.

Educators and students have lived with the unintended consequences of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) for years. As a result, NEA members have waged anunprecedented mobilization and advocacy campaign on behalf of the nation’s students to turn the page on the failed NCLB law and to bring in a new federal education law that provides more opportunity for all students. This herculean effort, which NEA launched in earnest in February with its “Get ESEA Right” national campaign, and peaking this past summer when both legislative chambers passed their respective bills, resulted in a bipartisan and bicameral compromise and eventual bill language in late November.

NEA President Lily Eskelsen García issued the following statement:

“Today, the U.S. House of Representatives took a historic step to usher in a new era in public education that will ensure every child has equal opportunity to a high quality education regardless of ZIP Code.

“On behalf of NEA’s three million members, we offer our strong support for the Every Student Succeeds Act.

“For the first time since No Child Left Behind was enacted nearly 14 years ago, ESSA empowers educators as trusted professionals to make school and classroom decisions while keeping the focus on students most in need. The bill also reduces the amount of standardized testing in schools and, most importantly, decouples high-stakes decision-making and statewide standardized tests so that so students have more time to learn and teachers have more time to teach. Last, ESSA begins to close the opportunity gaps for students by providing a new accountability system that includes an ‘opportunity dashboard’ with — for the first time — indicators of school success and student support.

“We applaud the U.S. House for getting the job done and doing what works for students, educators, and public education. We urge the Senate to follow suit and send a bill to the president that gives every student the opportunity, support, tools, and time to learn.”

Follow us @NEAMedia

The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing nearly 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers. Learn more at www.nea.org.

Contact: Miguel A. Gonzalez
202-822-7823, mgonzalez@nea.org

NEA - NEA welcomes historic step to usher in new era in public education:

L.A. school board to consider revised motion against rapid charter expansion - LA Times

L.A. school board to consider revised motion against rapid charter expansion - LA Times:

L.A. school board to consider revised motion against rapid charter expansion

Los Angeles school board member Scott Schmerelson, who recently urged his colleagues to oppose a massive charter school expansion plan, has revised a proposal to make it more general — opposing market-driven education reforms and no longer singling out a local foundation for specific criticism.

Schmerelson's amended version has moved away from overtly criticizing the locally based Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, which had been spearheading the charter plan.

As his motion is now written, Schmerelson wants the school board to oppose “external initiatives that seek to reduce public education in Los Angeles to an educational marketplace and our children to market shares.”

A confidential draft of the charter proposal, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, called for half of district students to enroll in charters over the next eight years. The plan was developed without input from the L.A. Unified School District and could be pursued whether the district likes it or not. 

Since then, the Broad Foundation has characterized the leaked plan, which called for raising $490 million, as a “preliminary discussion draft” rather than a call to action. And last month, two charter advocates formed a nonprofit organization that they said would be the next step in the effort. They insisted that the new entity would be devoted to creating superior public schools of any model, charter or otherwise, although documentation they provided mostly touted the benefits of charters.L.A. school board to consider revised motion against rapid charter expansion - LA Times:

ODE TO BROAD

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Rich People: Why Do They ALL Have to Come After Public Ed?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Rich People: Why Do They ALL Have to Come After Public Ed?:

Rich People: Why Do They ALL Have to Come After Public Ed?

To start, consider this from Inside Philanthropy (one of my new favorite places to stop by and read awhile:)

Now, with the rise of Big Philanthropy, we’re seeing the logical next act in this age of inequality—the conversion of all those big piles of money into influence that extends into every last corner of U.S. society, not to mention into remote villages in Africa and Asia. Today’s economic inequality may be nothing compared to tomorrow’s civic inequality as more activist mega-donors emerge with big money and big ambitions—at a time, I should add, when government will be spiralling down into fiscal paralysis due to soaring entitlement costs as the boomers retire. If the 20th century was the era of Big Government, the 21st Century is shaping up as the age of Big Philanthropy. This power shift is one of the most important stories of our time.

Which is the lead-in to this: Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, and his wife, Pricillia, had a baby girl, Max, last week. Mazel to them and she's beautiful.

He and his wife then decided that they would give 99% of their fortune away.    It was oddly done thru a letter to their daughter - quite lengthy and full of big words she won't be reading for quite awhile.  Oh wait, silly me - that letter was Seattle Schools Community Forum: Rich People: Why Do They ALL Have to Come After Public Ed?:

Jersey Jazzman: Return To Teachers Village, Part III: Who's Learning At Teachers Village?

Jersey Jazzman: Return To Teachers Village, Part III: Who's Learning At Teachers Village?:

Return To Teachers Village, Part III: Who's Learning At Teachers Village?

Here's Part I of this series, and here's Part II.

Let's ask again: how much money have the taxpayers spent on Newark's Teachers Village?

Teachers’ Village represents a complex mixture of innovatively structured public and private financing:  $22.7 million of Qualified School Construction Bonds were issued through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) and purchased by TD Bank; a $4.25 million loan was secured from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority; and a $1 million loan came from Brick City Development Corporation’s Urban Enterprise Zone Loan Fund, which helped to solidify a unique public‑private partnership with other lenders. The City of Newark provided a $2 million Community Development Block Grant and, in conjunction with the NJEDA, committed $5.3 million in Redevelopment Area Bond financing.  NJEDA also issued $39 million of Urban Transit Hub Tax Credits, which were purchased by Goldman Sachs Bank, and New Jersey Community Capital deployed $10 million of its New Market Tax Credit allocations, which were also purchased by Goldman Sachs Bank.

To be clear: that's mostly private financing. However, there were quite a few tax credits given for the project, as well as some outright grants. There's just no way Teachers Village ever would have become a reality without public funding.

Further, and most importantly: much of the rental revenue collected by the owners of - See more at: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2015/12/return-to-teachers-village-part-iii.html#sthash.Hy6bct4c.dpuf

‘It pains me to write this': Obama’s first summit on high schools was a big fail - The Washington Post

‘It pains me to write this': Obama’s first summit on high schools was a big fail - The Washington Post:

‘It pains me to write this': Obama’s first summit on high schools was a big fail

Ted Dintersmith is a venture capitalist and father of two who is now focused on education-related initiatives that call for a radical restructuring of what and how students learn. He organized, funded and produced the well-received documentary “Most Likely to Succeed,” and co-authored a book titled “Most Likely to Succeed:  Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era.”

Now on a 50-state tour to encourage communities to rethink the purpose of school, Dintersmith stopped in Washington last month to attend the first White House Summit on Next Generation High Schools, which the Obama administration said would “highlight new actions by philanthropy, industry, school leaders, and others, who are committed to re-thinking the way that high school education is delivered in this country.”

To make a long story short, Dintersmith was not impressed with the summit. In the following post, he explains what he saw and heard and why he was so sorely disappointed about the experience. Because a focus of his discussion involves high school math, it is worth noting that Dintersmith majored in physics and English as an undergraduate, with research in physics that led to publication. He earned a master’s degree in applied physics and a doctorate in engineering from Stanford University, with a concentration on mathematical modeling. He also taught a math-intensive course at Stanford on microeconomics, and he has worked with many top scientists and engineers in a 30-year business career. So it’s safe to say that Dintersmith approaches a discussion of high school math with context.

 [Not Bill Gates: Meet Ted Dintersmith, an education philanthropist with a different agenda]

By Ted Dintersmith

It pains me to write this article. It really does.

You see, I was all-in as a volunteer for Barack Obama in 2007-2008. On the National Finance Committee from the beginning. Donated and raised money for him, twisting every arm I could find. Walked door-to-door in Iowa for 10 snowy days before the caucuses. Was part of the 2009 transition process. And was selected by the president to represent the United States at the 2012 United Nations General Assembly, where I focused on global education issues.

The Obama administration is staffed by talented people with the best of intentions. I respect their 100-hour workweeks and accomplishments. But when it comes to education, this administration has done more damage than George W. Bush and No Child Left Behind. And that was very hard to do.   While NCLB amplified the role of standardized testing in U.S. education, Race To The Top took it to the next unfortunate level. It bribed states to link student test performance to an accountability system for teachers, making test prep the all-consuming focus of school. These policies failed at their stated goal of improving test scores, while disengaging students, demoralizing teachers, and driving meaningful and engaged learning from our classrooms.

With the recent announcement that Education Secretary Arne Duncan is stepping down, and the president’s subsequent statement that we’ve gone overboard on standardized testing, I had hoped things in D.C. had taken a turn for the better. So when I was invited to last month’s White House Summit on Next Generation High Schools, I was excited. By the end of the summit, though, it was the words of George Bernard Shaw, not something from the summit, that ran through my mind:

“We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.”

The lead figures for the day were people with impressive titles and resources, but underwhelming ideas. The opening speaker described his powerful personal story, and then addressed the serious issue of the 19 percent of our kids who don’t graduate from high school. He pointed to the need to give more kids access to courses like Algebra II and chemistry. I struggled to visualize bored students suddenly fired up and ready to go to school so they can memorize the periodic table. Frequently using the phrase “false ‘It pains me to write this': Obama’s first summit on high schools was a big fail - The Washington Post:

Victory in Court: Consequences Attached to VAMs Suspended Throughout New Mexico | VAMboozled!

Victory in Court: Consequences Attached to VAMs Suspended Throughout New Mexico | VAMboozled!:

Victory in Court: Consequences Attached to VAMs Suspended Throughout New Mexico

Great news for New Mexico and New Mexico’s approximately 23,000 teachers, and great news for states and teachers potentially elsewhere, in terms of setting precedent!

Late yesterday, state District Judge David K. Thomson, who presided over the ongoing teacher-evaluation lawsuit in New Mexico, granted a preliminary injunction preventing consequences from being attached to the state’s teacher evaluation data. More specifically, Judge Thomson ruled that the state can proceed with “developing” and “improving” its teacher evaluation system, but the state is not to make any consequential decisions about New Mexico’s teachers using the data the state collects until the state (and/or others external to the state) can evidence to the court during another trial (set for now, for April) that the system is reliable, valid, fair, uniform, and the like.

As you all likely recall, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), joined by the Albuquerque Teachers Federation (ATF), last year, filed a “Lawsuit in New Mexico Challenging [the] State’s Teacher Evaluation System.” Plaintiffs charged that the state’s teacher evaluation system, imposed on the state in 2012 by the state’s current Public Education Department (PED) Secretary Hanna Skandera (with value-added counting for 50% of teachers’ evaluation scores), is unfair, error-ridden, spurious, harming teachers, and depriving students of high-quality educators, among other claims (see the actual lawsuit here).

Thereafter, one scheduled day of testimonies turned into five, in Santa Fe, that ran from the end of September through the beginning of October (each of which I covered here,here, here, here, and here). I served as the expert witness for the plaintiff’s side, along with other witnesses including lawmakers (e.g., a state senator) and educators (e.g., Victory in Court: Consequences Attached to VAMs Suspended Throughout New Mexico | VAMboozled!:

Rise to the Challenge - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice

Rise to the Challenge - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice:

Rise to the Challenge

When I last posted a blog, I was challenged. The challenge was to THINK…AND DO!

I responded…Well, life doesn’t lend itself well to being put on hold, but I did my best with the time I had and produced an alternative for Congress to consider. The problem is, Congress never wanted to consider any of the good ideas concerning No Child Left Behind that have been put before them over the last 15 years. My last attempt here, I’m calling the People’s Alternative.

AND I’m passing on Gloria’s challenge to all of you who will accept it – THINK and DO.

~~~~~~~~

The People’s Alternative turns back the clock to a time when ESEA was NOT an attempt to dictate an accountability system from the federal level.

The People’s Alternative offers a federal law that supports children in urban and rural slums in states unable to provide adequate educational resources.

Through the people he brought to D.C., JFK kept ideas alive in a law that he didn’t live to see. – ESEA …Both NCLB & ESSA kill the ideas. Compare.

The People’s Alternative is based on the principles written into law by the architects of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act with the addition of successful practices from the decades that followed. The law then got RESULTS.

~~~~~~~~

Both No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Rise to the Challenge - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice:

CURMUDGUCATION: The New ESEA and Content

CURMUDGUCATION: The New ESEA and Content:

The New ESEA and Content

There's a huge amount of discussion about how the New ESEA will affect policy and the flow of money and the new ways that privateers can grub for that money and just how big a hash states will make out of education, anyway etc etc etc,

But over at the Fordham blog, Robert Pondiscio has put a bit of focus where focus ought to be-- the new bill's effect on content.

Pondiscio is a reform fan who has always been willing to see what we see in the classroom-- that anemphasis on high stakes reading tests is destructive to the teaching of reading. I've made the same argument. The current theories about reading embedded in both the Common Core and in Big Standardized Tests is that reading is a set of free-floating skills unrelated to content, prior knowledge, or the engagement of the reader. The BS Tests have focused on short excerpts specifically chosen to be boring and weirdly obscure so as to guarantee that students will have no prior knowledge and will not find the excerpts interesting. All this because some reformsters believe that reading is a set of skills that has nothing to do with content, which is kind of like trying to imagine waves that exist independent of any matter through which they move. As Pondiscio puts it:

Years of treating reading as a discrete subject or a skill—teaching it and testing it that way—havearguably set reading achievement in reverse. You don’t build strong readers by teaching children to “find the main idea,” “make inferences,” and “compare and contrast.” You do it by fixing a child’s gaze on the world outside the classroom window.

It has been, and continues to be, a dumb and counterproductive way to approach reading. For one thing, it means that the best way for me to increase student achievement would be to never teach anything but daily three-paragraph excerpts from anything at all. Throwing out my anthology of American literature and replacing it with daily newspaper clippings would be an excellent way to 

Charter group tells LAUSD board contribution process was lawful - LA School Report

Charter group tells LAUSD board contribution process was lawful - LA School Report:

Charter group tells LAUSD board contribution process was lawful 

The executive director of the state charter schoolspolitical action committee sent anemail to the LA Unified school board and other district officials yesterday, offering a sharp response to a storyin the Los Angeles Times that was highly critical of the group’s campaign finance reporting practices.

“I am reaching out to you to ensure that you have the facts, which are sadly neglected in this article,” wroteGary Borden, executive director of California Charter School Association Advocates. “Unfortunately, the Times has decided to turn common and fully legal electoral practice into ‘gotcha’ politics. The article simply does not reflect the reality or the integrity of our electoral practices.”

The article highlighted how donors to a political action committee who funneled millions of dollars into this year’s LA Unified school board races were “shielded” from having their identify revealed until after the May 19 election. The donors included high-profile charter school supporters, including Eli Broad, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Carrie W. Penner of the Walton family.

At issue was the fact that donations were made to a Sacramento-based PAC, which then gave the money to a Los Angeles-based PAC that supported the election efforts of three CCSA-endorsed candidates. The article points out that if the contributions had been made directly to the local PAC, the donors’ names would have been revealed before the election.

The article stated that the practice “appears to be within the law” but quoted several officials and academics who were critical of the practice. Due to the multi-step process of moving the money from the Sacramento PAC to the local PAC, the donors’ names were not publicly revealed until September, when CCSA Advocates was required by law to disclose its contributors in a California campaign finance report.

Borden said this practice was nothing but routine.

“We are very proud of our compliance and transparency record. The Fair Political Practices Commission and our independent auditors have consistently found our reporting to be fully compliant,” he wrote. “In the case of the last school board elections here in Los Angeles, we formed a local entity to communicate with voters, which received funding from a statewide political action committee — which is routine in the world of modern political campaigning.”

The local PAC, named Parent Teacher Alliance in Support of Rodriguez, Galatzan, and Vladovic for School Board 2015, spent $2.7 million in supporting the reelection efforts of Tamar Galatzan and Richard Vladovic and for the election of Ref Rodriguez. The LA teachers union, UTLA, spent about $1.6 million supporting Scott Schmerelson, who defeated Galatzan, and former board member Bennett Kayser,who lost to Rodriguez.

Both UTLA and the CCSA Advocates supported Vladovic, who won reelection.

The Times article comes as the issue of charter schools — and their deep-pocketed supporters — is being raised to new heights in the district. In August, a $490 million charter school expansion plan backed by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation was publicly revealed. The stated goal of the plan was to eventually have half of all district students enrolled in charter schools, which immediately drew the ire of some board members and UTLA.

Charter schools are privately run, publicly funded institutions that typically employ non-union teachers. LA Unified already has more charter schools than any district in the nation, and since the plan would drain the district’s enrollment and reduce UTLA membership, it has been controversial.

Since the plan was revealed, a non-profit separate from the Broad Foundation wasformed to support the charter expansion plan, and the group has stated it will also fund traditional schools.Charter group tells LAUSD board contribution process was lawful - LA School Report:

Stefanie Fuhr, a Colorado Opt Out Leader, says: I Trust the Teachers - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform

Stefanie Fuhr, a Colorado Opt Out Leader, says: I Trust the Teachers - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform:

Stefanie Fuhr, a Colorado Opt Out Leader, says: I Trust the Teachers

Colorado is gearing up for mass Opt Out action via the informal RAVE caucus (Re-igniting Association Values for Educators).

Recently one of the founders of RAVE, Stefanie Fuhr, was interviewed on Channel 7 to share her thoughts on Opt Out.  Scroll to 1 min. 10 seconds to hear her speak. And keep updated on CO Opt Out news via RAVE FB page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CORAVE/ . RAVE website coming soon – join their FB group page to stay updated!

Additional Colorado Opt Out information can be found on our website:

October 13, 2015 Colorado Opt Out Guide

Refuse-the-READ-Act-english

Refuse READ Act Spanish Translation

ColoradoPushBackdocumentFebruary 2015

Specific Information for Aurora Public School Parents http://unitedoptout.com/2015/11/17/attention-aurora-public-school-families-atencion-familias-de-alumnos-de-las-escuelas-publicas-de-aurora/

Stefanie Fuhr, a Colorado Opt Out Leader, says: I Trust the Teachers - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: We need an independent People's Task Force in Chicago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: We need an independent People's Task Force in Chicago:

We need an independent People's Task Force in Chicago

I'm all for the call by A.G. Lisa Madigan,  for a federal civil rights investigation of the Chicago PD and City Hall's ongoing cover-up of recent police killings. I'm glad to see that the call to bring in the feds is gaining broad support, including most recently from a group of retired African-American police officers and from (get this) Hillary Clinton.

The mayor's proposed Task Force is a farce and its members should be ashamed to have agreed to take part in this charade.

Even a federal investigation is not adequate. While Obama's Justice Dept. has stepped up investigations of big-city police departments -- at least, compared to Bush's DOJ -- results have been too slow in coming and there's little or no transparency in the process. 

The current ongoing federal investigation in Chicago of theLaquan McDonald murder has even been used by Anita Alvarez and Rahm Emanuelas an excuse for not releasing the video of the shooting. And for not telling us that officerJason Van Dyke, had been accused of misconduct 18 times before he killed Laquan.

Plus, the feds have spent monthsin Ferguson as well as in Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: We need an independent People's Task Force in Chicago:

Education Votes: IDEA at 40: Has Congress abandoned the promise of the special education law? - Lily's Blackboard

Education Votes: IDEA at 40: Has Congress abandoned the promise of the special education law? - Lily's Blackboard:

Education Votes: IDEA at 40: Has Congress abandoned the promise of the special education law?

Featured on Education Votes:

“When President Gerald Ford signed the law now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 40 years ago, he was committed to the law’s goals but deeply concerned about whether the federal government would fulfill its promise to fund 40 percent of the extra costs associated with educating special needs children.

His reservations were well-founded. Four decades later, the government has never met even half of its funding obligation and lawmakers regularly introduce bills aimed at fully funding IDEA, or at least taking steps in that direction.”

Education Votes: IDEA at 40: Has Congress abandoned the promise of the special education law? - Lily's Blackboard:

New Mexico judge hits pause on controversial test-based teacher evaluations - The Washington Post

New Mexico judge hits pause on controversial test-based teacher evaluations - The Washington Post:

New Mexico judge hits pause on controversial test-based teacher evaluations

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten testifies before Congress in 2008. REUTERS/Mitch Dumke

A New Mexico judge has temporarily barred schools from using the state’s controversial test-based teacher evaluations to make personnel decisions, finding that the system appears not to be objective and uniform as required by law.

The preliminary injunction means that for the time being, teachers cannot lose their licenses for low ratings, and nor can they receive merit wage increases for high ratings.

The injunction will remain in place until Judge David K. Thomson of Santa Fe’s district court can hear and decide the full case brought by the American Federation of Teachers, which argues that the evaluation system should be dismantled because it is arbitrary and unfair.

[Contentious teacher evaluations moving from legislatures to courts]

AFT President Randi Weingarten hailed the judge’s decision to grant a preliminary injunction, calling it a “decision that will resonate through communities across America.”

“Judge Thomson recognized that New Mexico’s teacher evaluation system is deeply flawed, and deprives students of the high-quality educators they deserve while also hurting and demoralizing teachers — the very people we rely on to help students,” Weingarten said in a statement.

New Mexico is among a growing number of states that use complex and controversial algorithms — called “value-added models” — to figure out how much of a student’s learning can be attributed to their teacher.

The theory appears to be valid, Thomson wrote Wednesday. But in practice, New Mexico’s program has been riddled with data errors, a lack of transparency and other problems, he wrote.

“The problem at this stage in the litigation is that New Mexico appears to be a Beta test where the teachers bear the burden for its consistent and uneven application,” Thomson wrote. He wrote that the union had showed a “substantial likelihood of success” in proving that the evaluations violate state law.

In New Mexico, up to 50 percent of teachers’ evaluation are based on test scores.

The teachers union had initially asked for a broader injunction that would have prohibited state and district officials from using the evaluation system at all. The union later narrowed its request, asking only that teachers be New Mexico judge hits pause on controversial test-based teacher evaluations - The Washington Post: